Regions: Gwich'in Settlement Area
Tags: biology, fish, traditional food, fish health, toxicology
| Principal Investigator: | Thompson, Amy L (4) |
| Licence Number: | 14141 |
| Organization: | Gwich'in Renewable Resource Board |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2008
2007
|
| Issued: | Apr 12, 2007 |
| Project Team: | Dr. David Groman (Laboratory analysis and field assistance, Atlantic Veterniary College at), Brian Dokum (Field assistance, GRRB), TBA (Local fisher, Inuvik), TBA (Local fisher, Aklavik), TBA (Local fisher, Tsiigehtchic), TBA (Local fisher, Fort McPherson), TBA (Interested youth, local communities) |
Objective(s): This research entails a thorough literature search of all the available literature on loche livers and pathology, and an investigation into the occurrence of abnormal loche livers by field sampling and pathology analysis.
Project Description: This research entails a thorough literature search of all the available literature on loche livers and pathology, and an investigation into the occurrence of abnormal loche livers by field sampling and pathology analysis. A local fisher will be hired from each community (Inuvik, Aklavik, Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson) to collect loche. A Gwich’in Renewable Resources Board (GRRB) biologist and technician will be on site to measure the biological parameters of the fish (length, weight, liver weight, otolith extraction, and tissue preservation). The local fishers and any interested youth will be encouraged to participate and help out where possible. Samples will be frozen and shipped to the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) for analysis (Morphology Histology Toxicology tests). Sex determination and maturity status tests will also be performed. All these tests will be used to identify differences between abnormal and normal livers. A document summarizing the literature search will be distributed to each community. The results of this study will be written into a report and distributed to each community as well. If there is community interest, the GRRB Environmental Biologist would also be willing to communicate the results in other forms (such as presentations, posters and/or brochures). Community consultation will be ongoing throughout the study. Loche will be collected during ice melt-up (April-June 2007) and ice freeze-up (September-November), from the four Gwich’in Settlement Area (GSA) communities: Inuvik, Aklavik, Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic. Specific sampling sites will be identified by the local RRCs and the fishers themselves. The general locations are: Inuvik (creeks along the East branch of the Mackenzie River); Aklavik: (creeks along the Peel River); Fort McPherson: (creeks along the Peel River); and Tsiigehtchic (mouth of the Arctic Red River and creeks along the Mackenzie River).
